Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-05-20

declares that an organism is the cause of
disease when that organism can be grown
from time to time in successive crops. 1t
requires something to feed upon, and
when that something, with suitable me-
dunn for perpetuating the organism, Is
found, it Is possible, by the introduction
of the most minnie quantity to produce
it abun dainty at will. A decoction made
from the muscles of the fowl appeared to
be the only medium suitable for the cul-
ture of the fowl microbe. This is OBJ
tanned in the form of an infusion, which
is neutralized by the addition of potash
and heated to lis deg. to render it sterile.
small quantity of the parasite added to
this causes a miraculous multiplication In
few hours. The mixture, originally
clear, becomes turpid with a multitude of
organisms which are of extreme tenuity,
and slightly strangulated at their centres.
1t appears that thousandth part of
drop of this mixture is sufficient to inocu-
late fowl to produce disease and to
cause death.
When Pasteur was experimenting to as
certain what was the most suitable me-
dunn, he adopted that which he had used
for the cultivation of other organisms.
the water of Yeast. In this the germ of
splenic fever develops rapidly, whilst the
germ of fowl cholera does not develop at
all, but perlshes; hence, perhaps, the rea-
son why the germ of disease which Will
cause death to one animal will not affect
another. Strange to say, If a guinea pig
Is inoculated with the parasite which
causes fowl cholera it is not killed. An
aoscess is formed around the puncture,
but 1t heals spontaneously the little ami
NAL quite preserving Its health. The Or
ganisms swarm in the ahscess, and fowl
Iuocuiated with the virus obtained from
it ON the point of needle dies at once.
Pasteur says that poultry and rabbits
living among guinea pigs suffering from
these Assesses may be smltten With death
in moment. For example, should a mi
mute quantity of the discharge from an
abscess touch the food eaten by the rab-
bits or fowls, they would at once be at
tackled by disease. This shows Us all what
difficulty we have to contend with in com
batting diseases of poultry in particular:
for il might reasonably be commended
that, whereas the gvinea pigs were not at
tackled, but maintained health while sur
rounded with fowls dying on all hands,
the disease was not contagious. 1t is the
same so far as we have noticed after some
cOuslueTaDlt AptEituCc Win tuc ulSChsO
we know as diphtheria in poultry. This,
although of Q most yirUlent kind, and re-
semblIng dlphtheria attacking humanity,
is practically harmless as far as
other domestic animals, and even
man himself, are concerned. 1t is
possible that inocuIation might show
an important result; but, We
believe there is no question that it is pc
20 +ha 20 pI Evil Whap tho
ganism is consumed by the fowl, it acts
as readily as though it were introduced
into the blood, for it penetrates the sy5
tenn by means of the intestines, and it
increases in such abundance that the
dung elected becomes a great source of
danger to every fowl which goes hear it.
Indeed the bird inoculated by means of
the dung would be killed just as certainly
as though it were inoculated directly
with the virus. NJ. Radot, onin-law to
NJ. Pasteur, says that it is thus easy to
account for the mode of propagation of
this very serious disease, which some
times depopulates ali the poultry yards
in the country. We might add to this
that it is almost equally easy to account
for the disastrous consequences of other
diseases, which in England, at least, are
still more destructive than fowl cholera.
The proper plan to adopt to arrest the
disease, and this is not peculiar to cholera
alone, is to isolate the healthy fowl. The
dung especially should be removed,
wherever II can be found, ard if a spec
ial yard has been used by the poultry,
it should be thoroughly cleansed, as far
as possible, with water, to which little
sulphuric acid has been added. The mic
robe or organism is destroyed by this
or by carbolized water, with two grammes
of eulphuric acid per quart. AS we have
previously pointed out with regard to
diphtheria, birds, if not killed, should be
isolated in a different place to that occu-
pied by those which are still healthy, and
they should be attended oy a different
person, who could easily carry the con-
tagion with him if he visited the healthy
and diseased birds alike.
The fowl microbe or germ is what is
termed an arobic organism, i. e., it re-
quires air, or the oxygen of the air, in
which to exist, and unlike some other or
ganisms, its virulence is not diminished
by successive cultivation. 1t appears,
for exam pie, that, if as much as would
remain on the point of a needle Is taken
from one cultivation and placed in
small quantity of infusion referred to
above, it would spread and be as capable
of causing disease and death as in the first
instance. Again, if small quantity of
the blood of a fowl which contains the Or
ganism is enclosed in a tube hermetical
ly sealed at both ends, its virulencs will
be preserved for years, and Pasteur has
infected birds in poultry yards from
single drop of blood which had been used
for cultivdting organisms IN the in
fusion.
The most important point in CON
nection with Pasteur's discovery of the
virus of fowl cholera, is that he has shown
by conclusive experiments that the di-
sease can protect from itself. Having
had the cholera in mild form bird
cannot be attacked a second time, and
incubation with virulent virus, capable
of killing other birds inoculated, fails to
work more evil than to cause some OF
the birds to be i'll. 1t appears, that if
the virus from culture which has re-
manned in 4 flask for three months, and
which has been protected from the in
PRODUCTION of all foreign germs, allow
ing nothing but air to pass into it, is
used for inoculatior, it does not cause
disease, although it may make the birds
i'll. This virus, which may be called an
attsnuated virus, is then used for inocu-
lating, or for preventing harm to the
birds, from the disease having practical
ly been given in mild form. E1.